Without the masks
by Jinxgirl
Summary: Halloween third season...eventual Fuffy. Just read, hard to describe.
1. Chapter 1

Without the masks

Author note: Takes place third season, pre-Amends, AU. A two-parter.

Part one

The moon shimmered dimly overhead in the starless night sky, the only light other than a few randomly scattered streetlights casting illumination as the two girls walked side by side in the empty cemetery grounds. It was only a half moon, which was a good thing, as the blonde had already pointed out to the brunette. If it had been full, then Oz wouldn't have been able to take part in all the Halloween festivities that would take place the next day.

The two Slayers had been patrolling for over two hours now, and in between stakings, all Faith had from the other girl- all Buffy had seemed able to think or talk about- was tomorrow's holiday. Usually it was Faith who got hyped up during slayings, moving around rapidly and talking constantly, to the point where Buffy sometimes had to remind her to shut up so she wouldn't distract them from looking for vampires. But today Buffy was bouncing around the graveyard, talking to Faith in the quick, excited voice of a six-year-old who'd been fed too many chocolate bars before bed time. Normally this would annoy Faith..but it was kind of hard to not smile when Buffy looked so eager and adorable…

And she _so _didn't just think that…

"It's going to be so much fun tomorrow…I think it's really, it's really going to be fun, don't you, Faith? Maybe we'll finally have a chance to have a day off and have fun, without any demons and monsters other than the costumed variety. Okay, well maybe that's a little too much to hope for…but maybe we can at least kill them real quick in between candy gathering and costume contests. I mean, yeah, there was the whole turning-into-your-costume fiasco last year…but this time we're all making our own costumes, so we should be okay. The Bronze is supposed to look awesome, they're supposed to be going all out on decorations…did I tell you that I'm going to go as a fairy princess, with a wand and a tutu and a crown and everything?"

"Yeah you might have mentioned that once…or maybe twice…or something like a thousand times, B," Faith said wryly, raising an eyebrow at the other girl as she continued to move around exuberantly, in a manner that was totally uncharacteristic of her…and so that much more amusing to Faith, even in her current mood.

Today it was Faith who stood still and watched, with something between annoyance and affection in her eyes…also tangled with a slightly more troubled, even hurt expression that she tried to conceal, and that Buffy didn't notice. Buffy barely acknowledged Faith's dry words, just skipping ahead in her speech with hardly more than a nod.

"Yeah, I got all this glitter to put on my face and shoulders, and I have a little crown, and wings- it's going to be so cute, Faith, really! And Willow's going to be Glenda the good witch- she thought it was kind of appropriate- and Xander is going to be a ninja, and Oz is going to be the Wizard of Oz- get it? And it goes with Willow's costume too- isn't that cute? And Cordelia- well, I don't know what Cordelia's going to be, but I'm sure it's something glitzy and expensive-"

"Yeah, great…sounds nice, B," Faith cut her off quickly…for as cute as it was to hear Buffy so excited and happy for a change- more so than she had seen in, well, ever- she was getting uncomfortable and increasingly more moody listening to her. Of course, Buffy would never notice… Buffy was too busy enchanted by her daydreams of dances and glitter and fairy princesses- god, such a typical Buffy costume- to ever get a clue in her head that just maybe-

"Hey Faith…is something wrong?"

Faith jerked her head up to look over at the other girl, startled; the blonde Slayer was watching her now with a furrowed brow, confusion slightly shifting her formerly anticipant features. Faith felt her heart move slightly in her chest in a way she didn't understand. Okay, so Buffy _did_ notice… give the girl a gold star. It wasn't like she'd _wanted_ her to. In fact-

"No, of course not, B," she answered breezily, and yet there was a slight edge to her tone that should have warned her to drop the subject. "It's five by five."

"See, now that makes me think there _is_ something wrong," Buffy pressed, to Faith's irritation, as she stepped a little closer to her, still trying to look her in the eye- something Faith was trying hard not to let her do. "'Cause you only say that when something is…what's going on?"

"Nothing, B," Faith insisted, her voice slightly less casual now as she shot Buffy a glance the other girl couldn't interpret. "Just because I'm not jacked up on some pre-sugar sugar rush like you doesn't mean something's wrong. Like I said, I'm five by five."

She could feel Buffy still looking at her closely, scrutinizing her with narrowed eyes, clearly not satisfied with her response. After a few minutes, however, she seemed to realize that it would be in her best interest to just let it go, and she nodded slowly, even as her eyes remained slightly narrowed.

"Okay…if you're sure, Faith…"

"I'm positive," Faith cut her off quickly, giving her a reckless smile…but of course, she was not entirely being honest. Around B, that was usually a given. Just imagine if she blurted out every thought she had around the older girl…every thought she had _about_ her…

_She'd beat my ass into a coma, is what would happen…_

The girls continued to patrol in near silence for the next few minutes; Buffy seemed considerably more sober now, and that set Faith on edge even more than her previous antics had. She could feel the blonde watching her, could practically see the questions shooting through her head- making this out into a much bigger deal than Faith had ever wanted.

A few more minutes passed before it seemed to dawn on Buffy; realization suddenly lit itself in her expression, and she stopped in her tracks suddenly, looking at Faith with wide, startled green eyes.

"Faith…you know we want you to come too, right? You know you're invited?"

No Faith hadn't known that…but that wasn't the issue. At least, not mostly…

"Hey, it's okay, B," she said with deliberate casualness, shrugging. "Was gonna tell you, I'm not going anyway. Got other plans."

At that Buffy's eyes widened even further, and she looked at the brunette with slight indignant dismay.

"What do you mean, you're not coming?! What plans?!"

"Just plans," Faith said vaguely, not looking at her. That again was not enough for Buffy.

Making a slightly put out, slightly disappointed sound in her throat, she stepped in front of Faith, taking her arm so she had to look at her and regarding her seriously.

"Faith, I wanted you to come too…I wanted all of us to hang out and have fun together tomorrow. That was why I was so excited…I thought it would be all of us." Her voice lowered slightly, and Faith wanted to cringe away from its almost pleading tone, from the soft look in her eyes.

"It won't be the same if you aren't there."

Faith found herself exhaling without meaning to, and she felt a small twinge, then more strongly…Buffy wanted her there? Really? Had she actually heard her right…did she actually mean what she had said, that she wanted Faith-

It didn't matter…even if Buffy wasn't just saying that because she felt she should- which she must be, of course- it didn't make any difference…

Still, Faith heard herself speak anyway before she could stop herself, blurting out her next word way too incredulously and openly for her liking.

"Really?"

Damn, Faith…what the hell is wrong with you?! You sound about six years old!

But Buffy was still looking at her earnestly as Faith ranted at herself, her eyes still big and overly nice…way too nice. Faith didn't like her looking at her like that, like she was little kid, or some kind of charity project. She knew deep down that this was not all how Buffy was trying to come across to her, but that was how she felt…and how she sometimes feared that Buffy felt.

"Yes, really, Faith! Of course I want you to come too! Come on…please, come, it will be fun, I promise. How can you say no to a night of dancing and partying and candy? I know how much you like chocolate," Buffy said temptingly, smiling. "And don't worry if you don't a costume. Just come by my house- between me and Mom, we'll find you something. So see, no more excuses- come!"

"Look B, I'm not coming, okay?" Faith snapped abruptly, giving Buffy a harsh look that made the blonde look at her with hurt surprise at her reaction. "I don't even want to- so don't make puppy dogs at me, it's not gonna work. Got it?"

"Okay…you don't have to be so snappy over it," Buffy said, her tone clearly injured, even a little angry. "If you don't want to go, fine…I just don't understand _why_ you don't want to."

Her voice softened a little, and she impulsively reached a hand out to touch Faith's arm, subsequently sending a sudden, surprisingly intense thrill up the brunette's spine in response.

"Faith…I just really wanted you to come, you know? I was looking forward to having fun there with everyone…to having fun there with you."

Faith had to look away; she could feel the little flicker in her chest intensify, and she sucked in her breath slowly, trying to make it seem as if she weren't, as if she were still displaying the same cool as before. It had never occurred to her that Buffy could really want to be around her that much, not just out of politeness, but out of genuine desire, because she genuinely _liked_ Faith…

_Desire..why the hell are you thinking that word, of course she doesn't desire anything…stop being a fuckin' asshole…_

Buffy was still holding her arm, still speaking to her softly as she tried to look her in the eye.

"But if you don't want to go, Faith, that's okay, I guess…I'm not gonna act like I get it, but I won't push you anymore. I guess we'll just do something later."

Faith looked over at her quickly, finding it hard to believe that after all that, she was actually going to drop it, to let her off the hook. Buffy, who could never take a hint…Buffy was going to let her get away without going on and on about it?

"Alright, good then," she said quickly, giving a little jerking nod of her head. "Yeah, later then."

They fell into silence again as they began to wrap up their patrol…it was a slow night tonight, maybe because all the vampires and other ghoulies were waiting until tomorrow to show up. Buffy had removed her hand from Faith's arm, but Faith could still feel it there, the skin feeling slightly warm, sensitive to the night air. She knew even as she did not look at Buffy that the blonde was continually glancing at her, trying to read her expression, even as Faith did her best to conceal it from her.

After a few moments, Faith's attempt at endurance was pushed past the point where she could take it anymore, and she found herself growing more and more uneasy and on edge from the quiet and awkwardness between them. Without at all intending to, she found herself speaking quickly, her words abrupt and somewhat sharp.

"Look, I don't like the costumes, okay?"

Buffy's head jerked over to regard her, startled, and she frowned slightly, confused.

"What?"

"I don't like costumes. That's why I don't like Halloween. That's why I'm not gonna go," Faith repeated shortly, already feeling her ears burn with shame and embarrassment. She carefully kept her face averted from Buffy's as she paced about a slight distance from her, pretending to be absorbed in looking for vampires. She could feel Buffy staring at her, flabbergasted, and wanted to strangle herself. Why did she have to blurt things out like that?!

"Faith…I don't get it. That doesn't make any sense," Buffy said slowly, still trying to meet here eyes; even without looking at her, Faith was sure that her face was scrunched up with confusion. "Why don't you like costumes? They're fun…and anyway, I know you watch horror movies, the killers always wear costumes. You were watching Freddy Krueger the last time I went by your motel room! How do you not like costumes?"

"That's different," Faith muttered, feeling her face heat up even more as she continued to keep herself partly turned away. "That's TV, it's not real people. I don't like them on real people, okay?"

Her tone made it clear that Buffy should drop it, but Buffy persisted, stepping closer to her again.

"Why, Faith?"

Faith had intended to shrug off another answer that didn't really answer, but something about the softness of Buffy's voice, the gentle perplexity in her tone, made her stop, taking another slow breath. When she spoke her words were reluctant, tersely uttered, but genuine.

"I…I don't know, costumes are kinda creepy. I don't like now knowing who's behind them, being able to see their face behind masks..."

Buffy just stared at her for a moment, seeming to be waiting for more…when nothing else came, her face broke out in an incredulous grin, and she laughed in seeming disbelief.

"Faith…are you kidding me? You're trying to tell me after all the monsters and slimy evil things we fight every day…seeing every kind of big ugly demon there is…you're telling me that you have no problem with _those_ things, but that looking at a bunch of normal kids in _costume_ freaks you out? Are you serious?!"

"That's right, B, laugh your ass off, it's a fuckin' riot!" Faith snapped, quickly angered at Buffy's attitude- not to mention hurt by her seeming ridicule. Faith knew it was stupid, knew it was ridiculous, even considering what…well, it was, but that didn't mean that Buffy could get her kicks laughing at her over it.

"Yeah, I know, B, Faith the fucked-up freak, it's a fuckin' scream-"

"Hey! Hey, Faith, I didn't mean it like that, I wasn't trying to offend you!" Buffy said quickly, her smile slipping hurriedly as she realized that Faith was really upset, really not at all amused. She put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder apologetically; when Faith immediately shrugged her off, Buffy kept her hands to herself, but stayed close to her as she went on.

"Faith, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. I was just surprised, that's all…I didn't expect that to be your reason for not going."

Faith held herself stiffly, listening with some mix of anger, hurt, and reluctant belief to Buffy's trying to placate her…seeing that Faith was remaining silent, and therefore possibly open to her words, Buffy hurried ahead, trying to catch her eyes.

"Look, it's okay, you don't have to go if you don't want to…I just really wanted you to, and it surprised me when you said that was why you didn't want to. I'm sorry for laughing, okay?"

Faith hesitated, part of her wanting to hold onto her anger even as she wanted to quickly forgive Buffy, to make things okay between them again, at least in Buffy's eyes. She had to at least act like it was cool…that was just the way she had always felt she had to do things with her. It was what was expected of her…

"Yeah, whatever, it's cool, B. Five by five," she said casually.

She noticed Buffy still watching her as Faith gave her a carefree little smile, not entirely convinced. But Buffy must have decided to drop it, for she smiled back a little slower.

"Good…glad we've got that straight then…"

To Faith's shock, Buffy leaned forward to give her a quick one-armed hug around her shoulders. Faith didn't' hug her back…she was too thrown off by Buffy's actions to even make a sound, to behave in any way beyond automatically tensing up. Seeming to think that Faith was uncomfortable, wanting to let go, Buffy released her quickly, giving her a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Sorry…"

"Uh…it's okay…so…should probably head out, it's getting kinda late," Faith said awkwardly, her eyes shifting aside.

"Yeah…we should go, I guess…"

The girls began to walk side by side out the cemetery, each caught up in her own thoughts. It was a few minutes before Buffy spoke again.

"Faith?"

"Yeah?" Faith replied warily, her eyes darting back to her.

Buffy's words were hesitant, slow in coming, and she seemed to be feeling out each word as she said it…

"Is…is there any reason for it? You know…the costume thing. Did…did something happen?"

Faith's shoulders tensed up at the question, and her eyes darted away; she almost stopped walking entirely. An image flashed into her mind, a memory…but she shoved it away hurriedly, giving Buffy a hasty grin.

"Nope. No reason, B…"

Buffy didn't press her, simply continued to walk close to her toward her motel. The two Slayers were quiet as they went along their way, each caught up in her own thoughts…

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

Without the masks

Author note: Takes place third season, pre-Amends, AU. A two-parter.

Part two

Faith heard the knocking on her motel door a split second before her brain caught up with what that meant. She had been sitting on her bed with her back propped up against the headboard, watching a horror movie that had come on TV; the sound of a fist rapping sharply at her door made her look up, startled, her heard momentarily seizing. It was Halloween night, past midnight at that…so who the hell was pounding on her door?

Or _what_ was at her door, might be a better question… maybe she should've known better, thinking she could go the whole day without having to do any demon ass-kicking…

"Porch light's nonexistent, so let me just tell you, you ain't getting candy," she called out, putting nonchalance into her tone. "And if you think you're gonna pull tricks, you got another thing comin'-"

"Faith, it's me," Buffy's voice cut her off, and Faith blinked, startled…what the hell…

She shook off her shock quickly. Something must be up, that was all. There was some demon, some big bad, and Buffy just needed her help. That must be it…

"Yeah, come in," she said, keeping her voice neutral, and a moment later Buffy pushed the door open, looking around with a slightly odd expression- almost like she was nervous. It must really be something bad going on, Faith thought, why else would she look so weird…

"So what's up, B? Need me to team up with you, help you kick some demon's scaly ass?" she asked lightly.

Buffy smiled quickly, still standing in the doorway as if she couldn't quite decide whether she was allowed to come in any further.

"Nope…no demons tonight, Faith. Yet, anyway…"

She hesitated for a few more moments, then sat on Faith's bed, a slight distance apart from her, turning to face her with a little bounce. It wasn't until then that Faith noticed she was wearing a pair of jeans and a tank top, rather than the glitzy fairy outfit she had been gushing over yesterday. Her face was scrubbed free of makeup, and she had just set a huge brown bag on the bed that looked as if it were heavy…

This was weird…if there was no demons, where was her Halloween costume from going to the Bronze? Hadn't she gone? And what was she doing here, then…why else would she be stopping by?

"So what's going on then?" Faith asked casually, trying to make it seem as if she weren't nearly as curious or confused as she really was. "I thought you were going to the Bronze with everyone… if there's no evil things out we gotta kill, then what are you doing here?"

"I did go to the Bronze," Buffy replied, "but I left, just after midnight."

She was still looking at Faith in this odd way that Faith didn't understand, couldn't interpret…all she knew was that it didn't look like Buffy. Frowning slightly, Faith shifted slightly away from her on the bed. Was it just her, or had Buffy somehow come several inches closer to her when she wasn't paying attention?

"Uh…okay…why, was it a drag there or something? And how come you're not still in costume?" Faith asked instead, still being careful not to make her voice sound as if she cared much about the answer. God…okay, Buffy had definitely shifted closer to her now, their legs were almost touching…

"I went home after I left and changed before coming over here," Buffy answered quietly, and there was a gentleness to her tone that Faith was not accustomed to hearing her direct towards her…at least, not until lately. Well, she hadn't _heard_ it from her until lately, she still wasn't used to it-

"You, you said you don't like costumes, Faith…so, I changed… thought you might like this better," Buffy shrugged, and Faith's eyes were immediately, unwillingly drawn to the way her fragile-looking, prominent collar bones moved with the motion, exposed by her tank top. She found her eyes drifting downward to the slight shadow of Buffy's cleavage, and a thought popped into her mind before she could stop herself.

_Hell yeah I like this better…_

Quickly she snapped her eyes back up to Buffy's face, praying that the blonde hadn't noticed, and forced herself to focus on what had just been said to her. Which, as it was rather important and shocking, was easy enough for her to do…

Buffy had gone to the trouble to leave the Bronze early, to go home and take off all her glittery crap and tutus and hair streamers, whatever it was she had been decking herself out in, for her…she had gone out of her way to de-costume herself for her. Faith didn't know what to think about that, how to take it…but in spite of herself she could feel a slow, incredulous, but pleased warmth spread over her…

"Figured this would be less, uh, creepy for you, you know…never saw you get weirded out by me before in jeans. Well, not weirder than usual anyway. Even though I really don't see what could possibly be scary about a fairy princess, I wasn't even wearing a mask-"

"Oh, they're scary all right, B," Faith replied finally, deliberately lifting an eyebrow and making her voice amused again in an attempt to set them both at ease, to pull back into what Buffy was used to expecting out of her. "All that pink and frills and sparkles? Gag…wicked frightening."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I was _very_ cute, I was not gagworthy!" Buffy said indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest, but Faith saw the smile in her eyes and knew that she too was only playing the role expected of her. "If you had been there you would have had the pleasure of seeing me, and you would have been impressed."

"Or I would have been gagging," Faith smirked, finally giving a genuine grin when Buffy scowled at her.

"Oh, you think? Maybe I shouldn't have changed then, Little Miss-"

"No, no, change is good, I like the changing idea," Faith said hastily- though honestly, she thought she could have handled Buffy in her fairy outfit, costumes or not. Maybe even enjoyed it… it was bound to be tight, maybe even skimpy, showing a lot of leg and cleavage-

_Okay, stop right now, no more of that kind of thought…no more-_

"So what are you doing here then?" Faith asked quickly. "I mean, if nothing's going down that you need me for…then what's up?"

Buffy lost her smile then, looking at Faith seriously in a way that suddenly made her uncomfortable… and yes, she was scooting forward a little more, looking her in the eye, and their knees were touching now…

"What's up is I wanted to see you, Faith," she said quietly. "Nothing else, okay? I missed you tonight… it wasn't as much fun without you there with us."

At her words, Faith stared at her, not quite able to keep the shock out of her eyes, the slow, faint pleasure and almost shy unbelief at what had just been said to her. Buffy wanted to see her… really wanted to see her, enough that she would leave the Halloween party at the Bronze and come home early just to change- just so she could come see Faith out of costume? Buffy had missed her… she had..

Faith was jerked out of her near daze when Buffy nudged her leg playfully, giving her a grin.

"Plus, I had to give you your candy, didn't I?"

Faith's head snapped up quickly at that, and her eyes dropped down to the brown shopping bag. Buffy had set down by the bed, automatically trying to see what was inside it. Buffy grinned even wider, lifting it up and holding it closer to herself teasingly for a minute.

"I got doubles of everything. I told them it was for my sick little sister. It's not a lie…you're younger than me, and you're my sister Slayer…and you do have a pretty sick mind, sometimes…"

"You got me candy?" Faith interrupted, skipping right past all that, even the barb about her sick mind, and jumping right to the point. This was too much, entirely more than she had expected…but even so, the thought of candy was enough to overpower her stunned, touched gratitude into submission for her appetite. Especially since her dinner had consisted of a stale mini bag of Fritos tonight.

"Yeah, Faith, don't know what I was thinking, but yeah, I bought you approximately three pounds of sugary chocolatey goodness guaranteed to put you into either a sugar coma or a hyperactive overdrive," Buffy said, smiling at the childlike glee that spread across Faith's face as a result.

Her candy lust made her look about six years old, and genuinely, openly happy as Buffy rarely saw her… plus it brought out the dimples that only showed up in her real, rare, and unguarded smiles…

"Wow, B…thanks…" Faith breathed as Buffy handed her the bag, and Faith promptly dumped it out onto the bed. Bubble gum, Pixie sticks, jawbreakers, and mini candy bars scattered across both their legs and laps, a few bouncing onto the floor. Faith didn't seem to notice or care; still beaming in excited near bliss, she scooped up a handful and began to unwrap and eat them as quickly as if they were popcorn.

Faith could feel Buffy watching her, could feel the blonde's amusement, but she didn't care… she wasn't about to apologize for her candy fixation. And to think that somehow she had managed to get all this without having to be anywhere near costumes or do anything at all to earn it…this was definitely a first…

_No. Not going there…stop it._

"Thanks, B," she said after her third piece of candy, looking at Buffy with a slightly more subdued smile, trying to show her appreciation, to shove back the flickering thought that had just flashed in the back of her mind, even as she struggled to reason out exactly why Buffy had done this. "Really, this is…that was nice of you…"

"Glad you like it," Buffy replied warmly, and was it just Faith, or were her green eyes actually almost _glowing_ at her? "Figured you would, seeing as I saw you eat that chocolate Easter bunny that had been under my bed for two years that one time… now _that_ takes a true chocolate freak."

"Hey, it was fine," Faith protested, through a mouthful of mini Tootsie rolls. "Tasted fine to me. You can't be all worried about germs all the time, ya gotta live a little…"

Buffy just shook her head, grinning, then turned her head to look at the TV behind her, which was still playing.

"So what are you watching?"

Between Buffy's arrival and the candy, Faith had completely forgotten that the TV even existed. She glanced over at it quickly, reminding herself.

"Oh…uh…_Texas Chainsaw Massacre_. The original one."

Buffy made a disgusted face, wrinkling her nose up in a way that made her look utterly adorable…except, except not, she really didn't think that-

"Sounds charming…and somehow in your mind, that's less creepy than a fairy costume?"

She began to brush the candy off of herself and from around herself, sweeping it into a neat pile at the foot of the bed. Then, to Faith's considerable shock- enough that she actually stopped chewing midway through her eating a mini Milky way- Buffy sat herself next to Faith on the bed, facing the TV. The thing was that she didn't just sit though…she snuggled. She pressed her body up against Faith's side, laying her head on her shoulder, seeming very comfortable with this arrangement….

Faith froze, her entire body tensing up the moment she felt it come into contact with Buffy's. She didn't know what to think, what to say, what to do… all she could focus on was her suddenly galloping heartbeat, her suddenly tangled thoughts, the warmth and firm warm softness of Buffy's body so close to her. She could faintly feel Buffy's breath on her shoulder, and it made her want to shiver mightily.

Okay, Faith, calm down, chill out…this is nothing. It means nothing…so don't make it into something. This is just more of Buffy and her girly cuteness…girls do this, they cuddle with friends, and they don't think it means anything. So getting all hot thinking about how her tits are brushing your arm and her hair is on your shoulder and her breath is about to make you scream is NOT the way to go, so fuckin' stop it!

She didn't say anything, didn't react in any way at all… she just pretended casualness, slowly making her way at all… she just pretended casualness, slowly making her muscles relax as she half hoped, half dreaded that Buffy would stay so close to her.

And she did… if anything, Buffy was nestling even closer to her, moving her head gently against Faith's shoulder so that a quick heat spread low inside her, making her breath catch slightly.

Several minutes passed, and Buffy seemed to be growing heavier against her, her breathing slowing…when Faith finally dared to look down at her, she had fallen asleep. Faith found herself staring down at her, tracing the lines of her lips, the slope of her nose, with her eyes. She wanted to put her arms around Buffy and hold her even closer, to let herself sink against Buffy as much as Buffy was against her…

But mostly she wanted to kiss her… she wanted to…

No, stop it! What the hell are you thinking, what…no. Just no…

But the more she tried to turn her thoughts away from it, the more persistently they crowded her mind… and somehow she could not force herself to look away.

Before she could stop herself, or even become fully aware of what she was doing, Faith found herself leaning towards the other girl, bending her neck at an awkward angle… and her lips brushed against the sleeping blonde's. It was very soft, brief, barely more than a brush…but Faith felt a jolt course through her, as shocking as if she had touched something electrical. Only this was a much more pleasant sensation, running through her very core.

She pulled away from Buffy quickly, her breath short, her heart pounding, fully intending to just go on watching the movie as if this had never happened…but there was one problem with this plan. Buffy's head moved slightly against her shoulder… and then Buffy's eyes were open, she was pulling her head back slightly to stare at her in wordless, dazed confusion.

Faith's stomach dropped, and her mouth went suddenly dry; she could barely make herself swallow. Inwardly she was shaking, even as outwardly, her muscles tensed, becoming hard, rigid.

Oh shit, oh fucking shit…what the fuck did you do that for, you fucking loser!? She woke up, she saw you…what the FUCK…

She started to pull away hurriedly, started to roll off her bed in a hasty near panic, intending to escape…but Buffy's hand closed around her wrist, stopping her.

"Faith," she said softly, and though soft, her voice was firm, sure of itself, no hint of hesitation or confusion in it anymore. "Don't."

Faith, thrown off by her tone more than her words, turned back slowly, daring to meet her eyes. In them she saw a soft sincerity that matched her tone, sentiments she simply could not understand…but moreover, there was something further. Something that…could that really be desire?

"Stay," she said quietly, and then she was rising up on her knees, her hand going to cup Faith's cheek…

As Faith stood there, dumbfounded, speechless, she was vividly aware of Buffy stroking her cheek, wrapping her arm around her… and then their lips were meeting, more firmly than before, Buffy's tongue entering Faith's mouth.

As Faith began to kiss her back, still scarcely able to believe that any of it was real, she could taste a trace of chocolate. She wasn't sure if it was from Buffy's mouth or her own, but it didn't matter… she really didn't' care. Because underneath that she tasted Buffy, just Buffy. And as completely corny as it sounded, that was somehow even better.

End

Author notes: I know, I know…I didn't say why Faith hates masks and costumes. I did that deliberately mostly because I wanted this to be a happier story, a fluffy one. And I wanted you to sort of come up with your own story. It's not because I'm lazy, lol- I have my own thoughts in mind with it- but I thought that in this particular story Faith wouldn't tell Buffy anyway or even be really thinking about it much, or rather allowing herself to. And Buffy wouldn't press after the first chapter. Sorry for all those I'm sure I disappointed


End file.
